Stable isotope deltas: Tiny, yet robust signatures in nature
Willi A. Brand, Tyler B. Coplen
2012, Isotopes in Environmental and Health Studies (48) 393-409
Although most of them are relatively small, stable isotope deltas of naturally occurring substances are robust and enable workers in anthropology, atmospheric sciences, biology, chemistry, environmental sciences, food and drug authentication, forensic science, geochemistry, geology, oceanography, and paleoclimatology to study a variety of topics. Two fundamental processes explain the stable...
Trimming the UCERF2 hazard logic tree
Keith A. Porter, Edward H. Field, Kevin Milner
2012, Seismological Research Letters (83) 815-828
The Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast 2 (UCERF2) is a fully time‐dependent earthquake rupture forecast developed with sponsorship of the California Earthquake Authority (Working Group on California Earthquake Probabilities [WGCEP], 2007; Field et al., 2009). UCERF2 contains 480 logic‐tree branches reflecting choices among nine modeling uncertainties in the earthquake rate...
Effects of wildfire on source-water quality and aquatic ecosystems, Colorado Front Range
Jeffrey H. Writer, R. Blaine McCleskey, Sheila F. Murphy
Mike Stone, Adrian Collins, Martin C. Thoms, editor(s)
2012, IAHS Red Book 354
Watershed erosion can dramatically increase after wildfire, but limited research has evaluated the corresponding influence on source-water quality. This study evaluated the effects of the Fourmile Canyon wildfire (Colorado Front Range, USA) on source-water quality and aquatic ecosystems using high- frequency sampling. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nutrient loads in...
Effects of flow regime on stream turbidity and suspended solids after wildfire, Colorado Front Range
Sheila F. Murphy, R. Blaine McCleskey, Jeffrey H. Writer
Mike Stone, Adrian Collins, Martin C. Thoms, editor(s)
2012, IAHS Red Book 354
Wildfires occur frequently in the Colorado Front Range and can alter the hydrological response of watersheds, yet little information exists on the impact of flow regime and storm events on post-wildfire water quality. The flow regime in the region is characterized by base-flow conditions during much of the year and...
Sediment fluxes from California Coastal Rivers: the influences of climate, geology, and topography
E.D. Andrews, Ronald C. Antweiler
2012, Journal of Geology (120) 349-366
The influences of geologic and climatic factors on erosion and sedimentation processes in rivers draining the western flank of the California Coast Range are assessed. Annual suspended, bedload, and total sediment fluxes were determined for 16 river basins that have hydrologic records covering all or most of the period from...
Landscape-level controls on dissolved carbon flux from diverse catchments of the circumboreal
Suzanne Tank, Karen E. Frey, Robert G. Striegl, Peter A. Raymond, R. Max Holmes, James W. McClelland, Bruce J. Peterson
2012, Global Biogeochemical Cycles (26)
While much of the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) within rivers is destined for mineralization to CO2, a substantial fraction of riverine bicarbonate (HCO3-) flux represents a CO2 sink, as a result of weathering processes that sequester CO2 as HCO3-. We explored landscape-level controls on DOC and HCO3- flux in subcatchments...
Freedom of Information Act
D.J. Newman
2012, Report
The Freedom of Information Act( FOIA), 5 U.S.C.§ 552, as amended, generally provides that any person has a right to request access to Federal agency records. The USGS proactively promotes information disclosure as inherent to its mission of providing objective science to inform decisionmakers and the general public. USGS...
Trends in selected streamflow statistics at 19 long-term streamflow-gaging stations indicative of outflows from Texas to Arkansas, Louisiana, Galveston Bay, and the Gulf of Mexico, 1922-2009
Dana L. Barbie, Loren L. Wehmeyer
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5182
Trends in selected streamflow statistics during 1922-2009 were evaluated at 19 long-term streamflow-gaging stations considered indicative of outflows from Texas to Arkansas, Louisiana, Galveston Bay, and the Gulf of Mexico. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Texas Water Development Board, evaluated streamflow data from streamflow-gaging stations with more...
Freedom of Information Act-Employee responsibilities
David J. Newman
2012, General Information Product 140
The Freedom of Information Act( FOIA), 5 U.S.C. § 552, as amended, generally provides that any person has a right to request access to Federal agency records. The USGS proactively promotes information disclosure as inherent to its mission of providing objective science to inform decisionmakers and the general public....
Candidatus Renichlamydia lutjani, a Gram-negative bacterium in internal organs of blue striped snapper Lutjanus kasmira from Hawaii
Daniele Corsaro, Thierry M. Work
2012, Diseases of Aquatic Organisms (98) 249-254
The blue-striped snapper Lutjanus kasmira (Perciformes, Lutjanidae) are cosmopolitan in the Indo-Pacific but were introduced into Oahu, Hawaii, USA, in the 1950s and have since colonized most of the archipelago. Studies of microparasites in blue-striped snappers from Hawaii revealed chlamydia-like organisms (CLO) infecting the spleen and kidney, characterized by intracellular basophilic...
Abiotic & biotic responses of the Colorado River to controlled floods at Glen Canyon Dam, Arizona, USA
Josh Korman, Ted Melis, Theodore A. Kennedy
2012, River Research and Applications (28) 764-776
Closure of Glen Canyon Dam reduced sand supply to the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park by about 94% while its operation has also eroded the park's sandbar habitats. Three controlled floods released from the dam since 1995 suggest that sandbars might be rebuilt and maintained, but only if...
Methods of analysis-Determination of pesticides in sediment using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry
Michelle Hladik, Megan M. McWayne
2012, Techniques and Methods 5-C3
A method for the determination of 119 pesticides in environmental sediment samples is described. The method was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in support of the National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program. The pesticides included in this method were chosen through prior prioritization. Herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides along...
Serologic and molecular evidence for testudinid herpesvirus 2 infection in wild Agassiz’s desert tortoise, Gopherus agassizii
Elliott R. Jacobson, Kristin H. Berry, James F. X. Wellehan Jr., Francesco Origgi, April L. Childress, Josephine Braun, Mark Schrenzel, Julie Yee, Bruce Rideout
2012, Journal of Wildlife Diseases (48) 747-757
Following field observations of wild Agassiz’s desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) with oral lesions similar to those seen in captive tortoises with herpesvirus infection, we measured the prevalence of antibodies to Testudinid herpesvirus (TeHV) 3 in wild populations of desert tortoises in California. The survey revealed 30.9% antibody prevalence. In 2009...
Phenology, growth, and fecundity as determinants of distribution in closely related nonnative taxa
Robin G. Marushia, Matthew L. Brooks, Jodie S. Holt
2012, Invasive Plant Science and Management (5) 217-229
Invasive species researchers often ask: Why do some species invade certain habitats while others do not? Ecological theories predict that taxonomically related species may invade similar habitats, but some related species exhibit contrasting invasion patterns. Brassica nigra, Brassica tournefortii, and Hirschfeldia incana are dominant, closely related nonnative species that have...
Hydrologic and water-quality conditions in the lower Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint and parts of the Aucilla-Suwannee-Ochlockonee River basins in Georgia and adjacent parts of Florida and Alabama during drought conditions, July 2011
Debbie W. Gordon, Michael F. Peck, Jaime A. Painter
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5179
As part of the U.S. Department of the Interior sustainable water strategy, WaterSMART, the U.S. Geological Survey documented hydrologic and water-quality conditions in the lower Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint and western and central Aucilla-Suwannee-Ochlockonee River basins in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia during low-flow conditions in July 2011. Moderate-drought conditions prevailed in this area...
Helicopter electromagnetic survey of the Model Land Area, Southeastern Miami-Dade County, Florida
David V. Fitterman, Maria Deszcz-Pan, Scott T. Prinos
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1176
This report describes a helicopter electromagnetic survey flown over the Model Land Area in southeastern Miami-Dade County, Florida, to map saltwater intrusion in the Biscayne aquifer. The survey, which is located south and east of Florida City, Florida, covers an area of 115 square kilometers with a flight-line spacing of...
Classifications for Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act site-specific projects: 2008 and 2009
William R. Jones, Adrienne Garber
2012, Data Series 701
The Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) funds over 100 wetland restoration projects across Louisiana. Integral to the success of CWPPRA is its long-term monitoring program, which enables State and Federal agencies to determine the effectiveness of each restoration effort. One component of this monitoring program is the...
Aspect control of water movement on hillslopes near the rain–snow transition of the Colorado Front Range
Eve-Lyn S. Hinckley, Brian A. Ebel, R. T. Barnes, R.S Anderson, M.W. Williams, S.P. Anderson
2012, Hydrological Processes (28) 74-85
In the Colorado Front Range, forested catchments near the rain–snow transition are likely to experience changes in snowmelt delivery and subsurface water transport with climate warming and associated shifts in precipitation patterns. Snowpack dynamics are strongly affected by aspect: Lodgepole pine forested north‐facing slopes develop a seasonal snowpack, whereas Ponderosa...
Profile measurements and data from the 2011 Optics, Acoustics, and Stress In Situ (OASIS) project at the Martha's Vineyard Coastal Observatory
Christopher R. Sherwood, Patrick J. Dickhudt, Marinna A. Martini, Ellyn T. Montgomery, Emmanuel S. Boss
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1178
This report documents data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) for the Coastal Model Applications and Field Measurements project under the auspices of the U.S. Navy Office of Naval Research Optics, Acoustics, and Stress In Situ (OASIS) Project. The objective of the measurements was to relate optical and acoustic...
Digital spatial data for observed, predicted, and misclassification errors for observations in the training dataset for nitrate and arsenic concentrations in basin-fill aquifers in the Southwest Principal Aquifers study area
Tim S. McKinney, David W. Anning
2012, Data Series 697
This product "Digital spatial data for observed, predicted, and misclassification errors for observations in the training dataset for nitrate and arsenic concentrations in basin-fill aquifers in the Southwest Principal Aquifers study area" is a 1:250,000-scale point spatial dataset developed as part of a regional Southwest Principal Aquifers (SWPA) study (Anning...
Digital spatial data for predicted nitrate and arsenic concentrations in basin-fill aquifers of the Southwest Principal Aquifers study area
Tim S. McKinney, David W. Anning
2012, Data Series 698
This product "Digital spatial data for predicted nitrate and arsenic concentrations in basin-fill aquifers of the Southwest Principal Aquifers study area" is a 1:250,000-scale vector spatial dataset developed as part of a regional Southwest Principal Aquifers (SWPA) study (Anning and others, 2012). The study examined the vulnerability of basin-fill aquifers...
Predicted nitrate and arsenic concentrations in basin-fill aquifers of the Southwestern United States
David W. Anning, Angela P. Paul, Tim S. McKinney, Jena M. Huntington, Laura M. Bexfield, Susan A. Thiros
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5065
The National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is conducting a regional analysis of water quality in the principal aquifer systems across the United States. The Southwest Principal Aquifers (SWPA) study is building a better understanding of the susceptibility and vulnerability of basin-fill aquifers in the...
Response to "Comments on 'Theory for source-responsive and free-surface film modeling of unsaturated flow'"
John R. Nimmo
2012, Vadose Zone Journal (11)
I am grateful to Masciopinto (2012) for raising several issues from my study (Nimmo, 2010) that deserve elaboration or clarification. In this reply, I address these in what I judge to be the order of importance, the main ones being (i) the discrepancy of scales between the two domains that...
Development of a flood-warning system and flood-inundation mapping in Licking County, Ohio
Chad J. Ostheimer
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5137
Digital flood-inundation maps for selected reaches of South Fork Licking River, Raccoon Creek, North Fork Licking River, and the Licking River in Licking County, Ohio, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Ohio Department of Transportation; U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration; Muskingum Watershed...
Comparison of streamflow and water-quality data collection techniques for the Saginaw River, Michigan
C. J. Hoard, D. J. Holtschlag, J.W. Duris, D.A. James, D.J. Obenauer
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5150
In 2009, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and the U.S. Geological Survey developed a plan to compare the effect of various streamgaging and water-quality collection techniques on streamflow and stream water-quality data for the Saginaw River, Michigan. The Saginaw River is the primary contributor of surface runoff to Saginaw...
